“Hey!” Ivy was suddenly back in my line of vision, putting the mug to my lips. “Drink your god-damn tea, Maggie, or I’ll pour it down your throat!”
Shocked at her harsh tone, I automatically took a sip. As soon as I swallowed, I felt the warmth, and it wasn’t from the liquid. It was magick. “What have you done?” I asked.
“Keep going,” Ivy said between her teeth.
“Julian,” Holly said. “Help her.”
I felt Julian mercilessly grab the back of my head, while Ivy tipped the mug to my mouth.
“Drink all of the potion,” Ivy said to me. “We need you to snap out of it. Willow needs you.”
I had no choice other than to swallow. I started to struggle and suddenly realized that Ivy was using her magick to force my compliance—and it was either drink the potion, or choke on it.
Only after I’d chugged the entire contents did they release me. “Damn it!” I swore and the mug dropped to the carpeted floor. “What are you playing at?” I coughed. “My daughter is missing. This is no time to be using magick on me against my will!”
Ivy retrieved the mug. “You didn’t give us much of a choice.”
Julian stayed kneeling down in front of me. “Maggie.” He gave my hands a brisk squeeze. “If you want to find your daughter quickly, then I suggest that you snap out of this fog you’re in and help us find Willow.”
“What in the hell are you talking about?” I said.
“I’m talking about you using the talents you were born with and putting them to work.” He stood and crossed his arms. “Stop acting like a victim, Magnolia, and start thinking like a Witch.”
I’d have been less shocked if he would have slapped me. “What did you say to me?”
“You heard me.” Julian cocked an eyebrow. “It’s time to stop feeling sorry for yourself, and face the truth.”
“Which is?”
“Perhaps, Maggie, if you’d been more diligent in your practice none of this would have happened.”
“What?” I asked, incredulously. “Are you crazy?”
“Not one bit. I’ve been tested.” Julian tossed me a mock salute as I sputtered. “You on the other hand have been running from magick most of your adult life. You turned your back on your talents and have tried to pretend you were a mundane for fifteen years.”
“But you don’t understand—” I began.
“Oh, I understand,” Julian interrupted. “You only used magick when you felt you had no choice. It’s left you weak, and out of shape as a practitioner.”
“Don’t push me,” I warned, rising to my feet. “You have no idea what you’re playing with, Julian.”
“Ha!” Julian snorted. “Try it! I dare you.”
I clenched my fists at my sides literally shaking with anger, and the effort it took to rein my powers in. “Stop it.”
“Julian…” Holly’s voice was beseeching. “There has to be another way.”
Julian ignored Holly and got up in my face. “Poor Magnolia Sutton…Embarrassed by your mother, so you abjured the Craft—trying to hide from it by playing the mundane in the mortal world.”
His words were painful, and I averted my face.
Julian kept right on going. “Eventually Magnolia, magick was bound to find you, and Willow unfortunately is the one paying the price for your cowardice.”
My head snapped around at being called a coward. “You son of a bitch,” I hissed, and the library door slammed shut.
Everyone in the room jumped, except me. I stood there, panting, and fighting like hell against my temper while the magick itched to be set loose.
Julian simply sneered. “The truth hurts? Doesn’t it, sugar?”
My blood was pounding in my ears and suddenly, I felt a snap. I pushed out with one hand and Julian went shooting across the room. He landed hard in the lounge chair several feet away from where he’d been standing.
While everyone else scrambled back, Julian simply laughed. “Oh, come on Maggie, you can do better than that!” He rose to his feet, straightened the cuff of his shirt, and shot me a contentious look. “Or was that merely a lucky shot?”
With an inarticulate shout of anger, I bunched my right hand together and yanked my fist upward. In response, Julian was pulled off his feet and left to dangle in mid-air, directly in front of Diego, Nina, the baby, and Wyatt.
“You condescending asshole,” I snarled. “Don’t you speak to me that way. Not ever!”
Even as he swayed in mid-air, Julian deliberately yawned. “You should really try and put some effort into it, Maggie.”
“Don’t hurt him, Maggie!” Holly said.
“Nina,” I said, through my teeth. “Take the baby from the room.”
“No,” Nina said calmly, as Isabel squealed and clapped. “We’re all staying.”
“Shit.” I heard Lexie’s voice from behind me. “I’m going to be pissed if I have to taser somebody.”
Julian began to laugh again, and the sound had me seeing red. I stalked over to stand directly underneath him. “Shut your damn mouth!” I snarled, even as Julian went closer to the high ceiling.
“And…there you are.” Julian sounded immensely satisfied as he smirked down at me. “So all those stories I heard about Magnolia Sutton were true after—” his words were cut off by my will.
“Not another word.” I gritted out. “Do you want me to completely lose control?”
“I’m trying to get you to tap into what powers you have.” Julian managed to say, even as his face began to turn purple.
“Maggie.” Holly’s hand on my arm was gentle. “Let him go. He’s only trying to help you.”
“Back off!” I warned her.
“This is totally bad-ass,” Ivy cheered. “You go girl!”
“Shut up, Ivy!” Lexie shouted.
“You do understand what he’s trying to do, don’t you, Maggie?” Holly said, reasonably. “Hurting him won’t help a thing.”
Ivy chuckled. “It sure is satisfying to watch, though.”
I felt the anger begin to recede and my magick slipped a tiny bit. Julian began to drop down from the ceiling inch by inch.
“Holy mother of god…” Wyatt’s voice came from across the library. It was soft, a little fearful, and it snapped me back.
What the hell was I doing? I wondered,
